Pacific golfers force three-way tie in conference race

Pacific made it a three-team race for the Northwest Conference men's golf championship Sunday as freshman Max Bonk and senior Taryn Braseth led the Boxers to the team title at the NWC Spring Classic at Quail Valley Golf Course on Sunday.

The Boxers made a nine-stroke lead stand up as all six Pacific players scored 82 or under on the final day for a two-day team score of 592, 22 strokes better than second-place Whitworth, who finished at 614. Linfield, who trailed Pacific for second place after the first day, slipped to third with a score of 618.

The order of finish locks Pacific, Linfield and Whitworth into a three-way tie atop the conference's championship point standings with 14 points apiece, leaving the title to be decided for good at the NWC Championship Tournament, from April 19-20 in Yakima, Wash. Whitworth will be gunning for their fourth consecutive title. Pacific, meanwhile, will try for their first championship since 1993 and Linfield will vie for their first ever title in men's golf.

Bonk captured individual medalist honors to lead the Boxers, turning in the only sub-par rounds of the entire tournament. The freshman bettered his 71 from Saturday by shooting a two-under-par 70 on Sunday and finished with a two-day score of 141. The rounds were his lowest of the season and also the lowest for the Boxers this year, securing Bonk All-Northwest Conference honors.

Braseth, meanwhile, dropped three strokes from his score to improve from a tie for fourth to sole possession of second place. The senior carded an even-par 72 on the second day to post a two-day score of 147 to finish two strokes ahead of Whitworth's Jordan Carter, who carded a 149. Linfield's Tyler Nelson and Whitworth's Connor McCracken tied for fourth with scores of 150.

Pacific freshman Ben Wright tied for sixth with a 153, while sophomore Tim Andrew made it four Boxers in the top 10, tying for eighth place with a score of 154. Jason Nishikawa finished in a tie for 14th at 159 and Brian Pan was 21st with a score of 162.